90-549: East Midlands Trains (EMT) was a British train operating company owned by the transport group Stagecoach , which operated the East Midlands franchise between November 2007 and August 2019. Following the Department for Transport (DfT) award of the newly created East Midlands franchise to Stagecoach, EMT commenced operations on 11 November 2007, taking over services previously performed by both Midland Mainline and
180-400: A flagman in a nearby booth who would, on the approach of a train, wave a red flag or lantern to stop all traffic and clear the tracks. This was a dangerous job that cost the lives of gatekeepers and their spouses, their children, their pets and their livestock, due to the inability for a train to stop from a suitable distance. Gated crossings became commonplace in many areas, as they protected
270-712: A 100% FirstGroup subsidiary when the 24.5% shareholder bought out its partners. The TOCs were renamed First Great Western and First North Western . Go-Ahead Group bought the remaining 35% share in Thames Trains . Virgin Group sold a 49% share in Virgin Rail Group that operated the CrossCountry and West Coast franchises to Stagecoach . The completion of the rail link to Heathrow Airport led to Heathrow Express , an open-access operator outside
360-490: A Nottingham service is extended to start from Lincoln on weekdays and Saturdays. There were plans initially for 2 return services to Skegness through from London in the summer; however, these currently run through from Derby instead of London, because of speed restrictions around Boston. The Burton-on-Trent and Barnsley services ceased at the beginning of the December 2008 timetable, when Corby services began. One Corby service
450-474: A breakdown in negotiations over an ongoing pay rise dispute. The dispute was eventually settled without industrial action, and the threat of strikes on East Midlands Trains services was dropped. As a result of staff engagement surveys, EMT launched its ‘Executive on Tour’ programme during the 2010s to bring about a higher level of contact between the franchise's upper management and its frontline staff, which included regular in-person visits and open discussions about
540-571: A company wholly owned by the Strategic Rail Authority , which would operate the franchise until it could be tendered again. New franchise holders Arriva Trains Wales and Merseyrail began operating. FirstGroup purchased GB Railways which owned the Anglia Railways and Hull Trains businesses. A policy where the majority of services (both long-distance and commuter) from each London terminal would all be operated by
630-415: A cost of £30 million, the refurbishment involved every single train in the company's fleet receiving upgrades and refits. Benefits of this work include train interiors being improved considerably along with a major year-on-year reduction in delay minutes by 20% by late 2014. The number of departures from London were also increased from four to five an hour off-peak incorporating Corby services and extending
720-453: A national network owner. Franchises were initially let by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF). This was in turn replaced by the Strategic Rail Authority , which has since been abolished. For England, franchising is now the responsibility of the Department for Transport in the majority of cases. In Scotland, it is the responsibility of Transport Scotland . In Wales, since 2017,
810-696: A national timetable and online journey planner facility, and the operation of the various Railcard discount schemes. Eurostar is also a member of the RDG, though it is not itself a TOC. For historical and geographical reasons the railway network of the United Kingdom is split into two independent systems: one in Great Britain (including the Isle of Wight ), and one in Northern Ireland, which
900-479: A review of the decision amid passenger outcry for its retention, the company opted to instead launch an enhanced catering service for the start of the May 2008 timetable. Since September 2010, Rail Gourmet had provided all standard class catering. Wi-Fi had been available on all services from London since 5 September 2010. Stagecoach have targeted 90.3% (PPM) on London services and 87% (PPM) on Local services. Previously,
990-753: A road in the same fashion. Other names include railway level crossing , railway crossing (chiefly international), grade crossing or railroad crossing (chiefly American), road through railroad , criss-cross , train crossing , and RXR (abbreviated). There are more than 100,000 level crossings in Europe and more than 200,000 in North America. Road-grade crossings are considered incompatible with high-speed rail and are virtually non-existent in European high-speed train operations. The types of early level crossings varied by location, but often, they had
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#17327838969911080-519: A significant risk of collisions between trains and road vehicles. This list is not a definitive list of the world's worst accidents and the events listed are limited to those where a separate article describes the event in question. Aircraft runways sometimes cross roads or rail lines, and require signaling to avoid collisions. Winston Churchill Avenue intersects the runway of Gibraltar International Airport at surface level; movable barricades close when aircraft land or take off. As of March 2023,
1170-533: A train is present, may differ from municipality to municipality. There are a number of possible arrangements: In France, cameras have been installed on some level crossings to obtain images to improve understanding of an incident when a technical investigation occurs. In England, cameras have been installed at some level crossings. In South Australia, cameras have been installed at some level crossings to deter non-compliance with signals. Designs of level crossings vary between countries. Level crossings present
1260-613: A tunnel under the runway opened to regular traffic, and the level crossing will only be available to pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooters. The Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway crosses the runway at Manakara Airport . It is one of the few airports in the world that crosses an active railway line. A level crossing near Gisborne , sees the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line cross one of Gisborne Airport 's runways . Aircraft landing on sealed 1310-metre runway 14L/32R are signalled with two red flashing lights on either side of
1350-653: A wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London , operates trains nearly all on its own network serving mostly its own stations: It is not a Train Operating Company by the definition here.) The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) (formerly the Association of Train Operating Companies) provides a commonality for the TOCs and provides some centralised co-ordination. Its activities include the provision of
1440-710: Is closely linked to the railway system of the Republic of Ireland. In Great Britain, passenger train services are operated by a number of companies, referred to as Train Operating Companies or TOCs, normally on the basis of regional franchises awarded by the DfT Rail Group. Until 2005 this role was performed by the Strategic Rail Authority . The infrastructure of the railways in England, Scotland, and Wales – including tracks and signalling –
1530-472: Is owned and operated not by the train companies but by Network Rail , which took over responsibility from Railtrack in 2002. Most passenger trains are owned by a small number of rolling stock companies (ROSCO) and are leased to the individual TOCs. However, a handful of TOCs own and maintain some of their own rolling stock. Train operating companies also operate most of the network's stations , in their role as station facility owners (SFO), in which they lease
1620-486: The 1968 Vienna Convention states (chapter 3, article 23b) that: This has been implemented in many countries, including countries which are not part of the Vienna Convention. Trains have a much larger mass relative to their braking capability, and thus a far longer braking distance than road vehicles. With rare exceptions, trains do not stop at level crossings and rely on vehicles and pedestrians to clear
1710-529: The European Railway Agency (ERA). The ERA manages and is responsible for the entire data collection. The Eurostat data constitute a part of the data collected by ERA and are part of the so-called Common Safety Indicators (CSIs). Note: Since 2010, use of national definitions is no longer permitted: 2010 CSI data represent the first fully harmonized set of figures Traffic signal -controlled intersections next to level crossings on at least one of
1800-824: The Greater Anglia franchise on 5 February 2012. In September 2012, FirstGroup was awarded the right to operate the West Coast franchise which provoked a backlash from incumbent Virgin Trains West Coast. As a result of the Department for Transport having provided incorrect information during the bid process, the offer was withdrawn in October 2012 and £40 million of bid costs refunded. In September 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway took over services formerly operated by First Capital Connect as part of
1890-471: The InterCity East Coast franchise. Level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path , or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel . The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses
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#17327838969911980-899: The Metro buses in Belfast and Ulsterbus coaches around the country. NIR is not a TOC under the terms of the Railways Act 1993 , which only applies to Great Britain. The cross-border service Enterprise (Belfast–Dublin) is jointly operated with Iarnród Éireann , the publicly owned national railway company of the Republic of Ireland. Upon privatisation in 1994, the three passenger-operating sectors of British Rail ( InterCity , Network SouthEast and Regional Railways ) were divided, and their existing operations were let as 25 franchises: The privatisation process began when BR's passenger sectors were divided into 25 train operating units which were gradually incorporated as publicly owned subsidiaries of
2070-779: The Midland Mainline franchise with the East Midlands services of the Central Trains franchise. In September 2006 the DfT announced that Arriva , FirstGroup , National Express and Stagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise. In June 2007, the DfT awarded the East Midlands franchise to Stagecoach. Services operated by Central Trains and Midland Mainline transferred to East Midlands Trains on 11 November 2007. During 2008, EMT introduced extensive timetable revisions; amongst other changes, journey times on
2160-736: The North East Regional franchise and the North West Regional franchise . In 2004, these were altered into the TransPennine franchise, for intercity services, and the Northern franchise, for local services that were awarded to First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail respectively. Some North West services were transferred to the Arriva Trains Wales franchise. In the same year, Thames Trains
2250-578: The Samaritans in the prevention of suicides, which has led to extensive staff training, fund raising events, and campaign signage at several of its stations. Amidst a background of ongoing rail strikes on a national level, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) warned in September 2017 that EMT employees could be balloted for potential industrial action following
2340-774: The Secretary of State for Transport supports the "In the Can" campaign, whereby sardines are sent to the Chief Executive to show dissatisfaction at perceived overcrowding. Helen Southworth (then MP for Warrington South ) also raised the overcrowding issue on the same day. The service pattern at the start of the franchise was of 4 off-peak departures from London: 2 fast (1 each to Sheffield and Nottingham) and 2 stopping (1 each to Derby and Nottingham). Sheffield peak-hour trains extended from and to Leeds, with weekend services also extending to York/Scarborough. 1 peak-hour Derby service
2430-572: The Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise and branded them as Thameslink and Great Northern. Services operated by Southern , another Govia subsidiary, were merged into the new franchise in the following year. Hull Trains became a 100% subsidiary of FirstGroup when the 80% shareholder bought out its partners. In March 2015, a Stagecoach and Virgin joint venture trading as Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating
2520-758: The West Coast Partnership franchise. An Invitation to Tender was issued in June 2018, detailing the improvements that bidders for the franchise must make. In April 2019, the DfT awarded the East Midlands franchise to Abellio; Stagecoach had been disqualified from the process because its submission failed to meet employee pension obligations. Accordingly, East Midlands Trains' services were transferred to East Midlands Railway on 18 August 2019. East Midlands Trains initially divided its services between two sub-brands: Mainline inter-city services, and Connect urban and suburban services, which mainly came from
2610-791: The passenger transport executive or other civic body responsible for administering public transport. One of these bodies, the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (Merseytravel) is responsible for one of three National Rail franchises not awarded by central government, namely the Merseyrail franchise, while certain National Rail services in North London came under the control of TfL in November 2007 as London Overground. Two other franchises,
2700-565: The British Railways Board. They acted as shadow franchises prior to being put to tender: The opening of the Channel Tunnel saw operations by Eurostar begin from London Waterloo to Paris and Brussels . The franchising process was implemented, with various private companies taking over the shadow franchises. Three were awarded to management buyouts . The Great Western Holdings ' management also were awarded
2790-592: The Central Trains franchise had had difficulties with timekeeping due to the high number of potential clashes with late running other services en route and use of insufficient stock, causing long dwell times at stations due to slow unloading and loading. Figures released rated Central Trains' performance at 87.8% for the PPM ( Public Performance Measure ) over the first quarter of the financial year 2007/8. Latest figures released by NR (Network Rail) rated performance over
East Midlands Trains - Misplaced Pages Continue
2880-494: The Central Trains franchise. However, from April 2008, the company dropped the "Mainline" and "Connect" branding in favour of "London" and "Local" services. It also has four broad routes for the areas in which it operates, except for the high-speed services, which all serve London. EMT promised better integration between "London" and "Local" services, together with increased punctuality and becoming more user-friendly. On 25 November 2008, Peter Bone (MP for Wellingborough) asked if
2970-659: The East Coast franchise. In April 2008, Wrexham & Shropshire began operating open access services between Wrexham and London Marylebone . In June 2008, the Gatwick Express franchise was integrated with the South Central franchise operated by Southern . The government announced that National Express East Coast would have its franchise to operate intercity services along the ECML terminated, and that
3060-683: The Leicester/Derby/Nottingham commuter triangle, and the installation of more self-service ticket machines across the network. East Midlands Trains also managed stations at which they did not operate services. These stations were all only served by CrossCountry . They were Hinckley , Narborough , South Wigston , Willington and Burton-on-Trent . Originally, it was proposed to remove the buffet cars from High Speed Train sets as they were relatively heavy and used only to cook breakfast on some trains; they were intended to be replaced by an at-seat trolley service. However, following
3150-587: The North West Regional Railways franchise. The remainder were divided between a handful of major transport operators: In Northern Ireland, NIR stopped using its own branding on the Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin when it purchased new rolling stock in conjunction with IÉ, instead launching Enterprise as a separate brand name. Great Western Holdings , which operated Great Western Trains and North West Trains, became
3240-582: The Scottish national franchise, currently operated by ScotRail , and the Welsh domestic franchise, operated by Transport for Wales , are awarded by the devolved governments of the two constituent nations. The Rail Delivery Group is the coordinating body of the train operating companies in Great Britain and owns the National Rail brand, which uses the former British Rail double-arrow logo and organises
3330-557: The Sprinter diesel units (classes 153 / 156 / 158 ) formerly operated by Central Trains . All Class 158 units had been refurbished in a style similar to sister company South West Trains' fleet, although with a higher seating capacity. East Midlands Trains announced in March 2008 that it was to reform its Class 222 sets to prevent overcrowding. This saw the remaining 4-car Class 222 units receive an extra vehicle to become 5-car sets. This
3420-409: The Sprinter refurbishment programme was complete, all route 2 services between Liverpool and Nottingham were able to operate as four-coach trains. In addition, from December 2011 the 13:52 from Liverpool operated through to Norwich. Train operating company In the railway system of Great Britain , a train operating company ( TOC ) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under
3510-641: The United States are killed in level crossing accidents. Collisions can occur with vehicles as well as pedestrians; pedestrian collisions are more likely to result in a fatality. Among pedestrians, young people (5–19 years), older people (60 years and over), and males are considered to be higher risk users. On some commuter lines most trains may slow to stop at a station but some express or freight trains pass through stations at high speed without stopping. As far as warning systems for road users are concerned, level crossings either have "passive" protection, in
3600-466: The buildings and associated land from Network Rail. Network Rail manages some major railway stations and several stations are operated by London Underground or other companies. Most passenger TOCs in Great Britain are privately owned. The majority of these hold franchises to operate rail services on specific parts of the railway and come under the auspices of the National Rail brand. In addition, companies are able to bid for "paths" (specific parts of
3690-519: The business between staff to increase engagement and improve understanding. In November 2014, EMT was recognised as the Passenger Operator of the Year at RAIL's National Rail Awards for the high quality of customer service that it provided in comparison to other franchises offer. According to the organisation, service levels had substantially increased in the region since the implementation of
East Midlands Trains - Misplaced Pages Continue
3780-467: The collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993 . There are two types of TOC: most hold franchises let by the Department for Transport (DfT) through a tendering system, to operate services on certain routes for a specified duration, while a small number of open-access operators hold licences to provide supplementary services on chosen routes. These operators can run services for
3870-452: The common ticketing structure. Many of the train operating companies are in fact parts of larger companies which operate multiple franchises. The railway network in Northern Ireland is managed differently from the rest of the UK. The sole company in Northern Ireland that operates trains is NI Railways , who are a subsidiary of Translink , the publicly owned transport corporation, which also runs
3960-465: The course of several years; the scheme was the route's biggest transformation in decades. The operator had worked closely with the national railway infrastructure company Network Rail on this and other initiatives to improve the route, such as a major re-signalling scheme performed in and around Nottingham station at a cost of £100 million largely performed during the summer of 2013. EMT also implemented numerous schemes to enhance safety; consequently,
4050-518: The duration of the licence validity. The franchised operators have changed considerably since privatisation: previous franchises have been divided, merged, re-let to new operators, or renamed. Some privately-operated franchises have been taken over by a government-owned operator of last resort , due either to failing expectations or to events on the rail system as a whole. The term is also sometimes used to describe companies operating passenger or freight rail services over tracks owned by another company or
4140-599: The eastern parts of the Central Trains franchises. Based in Derby , the company provided train services in the East Midlands and parts of Yorkshire , chiefly in Lincolnshire , South Yorkshire , Nottinghamshire , Leicestershire , Derbyshire and Northamptonshire . Its operations were initially divided between two sub-brands: Mainline for inter-city services, and Connect for urban and suburban services. Numerous changes were implemented during EMT's tenure, including
4230-480: The foreseeable future. Further decreases in journey times were achieved by EMT during the 2010s. One particularly impactful change was the completion of infrastructure improvements on 9 December 2013 that enabled 125 mph (200 km/h) along major stretches of the Midland Main Line for the first time. To achieve this, EMT had invested £70 million into the improvement of almost 160 miles of track over
4320-648: The form of various types of warning signs, or " active " protection, using automatic warning devices such as flashing lights, warning sounds, and barriers or gates. In the 19th century and for much of the 20th, a sign warning "Stop, look, and listen" (or similar wording) was the sole protection at most level crossings. Today, active protection is widely available, and fewer collisions take place at level crossings with active warning systems. Modern radar sensor systems can detect if level crossings are free of obstructions as trains approach. These improve safety by not lowering crossing barriers that may trap vehicles or pedestrians on
4410-576: The franchise was awarded the NRA Safety Award three years in a row. Such measures have included the installation of platform-end fencing and the presence of trespass guards at more trafficked stations; attention was also paid to reducing the risks associated with level crossings and great reduce their misuse via its work with the British Transport Police . EMT also cooperated with agencies including Network Rail, ASLEF , and
4500-514: The franchise would pass into the hands of public-sector company, Directly Operated Railways , which acted as the parent for East Coast . Grand Central open-access services from London to Bradford began on 23 May 2010. DB Regio's operations in the UK were integrated into those of Arriva following the acquisition of the latter by Deutsche Bahn in the previous year. Owing to continuing losses, Wrexham & Shropshire ceased operating on 28 January 2011. Abellio Greater Anglia began operating
4590-631: The franchising system in 1996, and that the company had performed better than most peers in response to service disruptors such as Cyclone Dirk and other natural phenomenon. Amid EMT's franchise period, there was ambitious plans to electrify the majority of the Midland Main Line by 2020 at an expected cost of £800 million. In January 2013, Network Rail expected the electrification scheme to cost £500 million and be undertaken in stages during Control Period 5 (April 2014 – March 2019; with Bedford to Corby section electrified by 2017, Kettering to Derby and Nottingham by 2019 and Derby to Sheffield by 2020.
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#17327838969914680-401: The franchising system, beginning its services from London Paddington to Heathrow with operating rights until 2023. The shareholdings of M40 Trains were restructured with John Laing owning 84% of the company with the remaining 16% held by former BR managers. MTL which operated Merseyrail Electrics and Northern Spirit and Prism Rail that operated c2c (renamed from LTS Rail earlier in
4770-596: The hours of operation with earlier arrival and later departures, to allow better connections with Eurostar at St Pancras. On 9 December 2013, 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) running was introduced on extended stretches of the Midland Main Line following a multi-year upgrade programme, involving the installation of improved signalling and additional tracks, at a reported cost of £70 million. The upgraded infrastructure, amongst other benefits, enabled EMT to operate its trains at faster speeds from Nottingham and Sheffield to London St Pancras . More than £5 million
4860-407: The introduction of additional trains between Sheffield and London along with infrastructure improvements to enable faster services to be operated. The franchise developed a reputation for its attention to customer service and public safety, winning multiple awards for these aspects. Passenger numbers also grew, necessitating the lengthening of several services to accommodate this. EMT's franchise period
4950-432: The last year (up to 12 October 2013) at 91.5% (MAA) and 92.0% (PPM) for the seventh period of the financial year 2013/14. Other than the lines to Liverpool and Manchester, no East Midlands Trains routes were electrified north of Bedford and all trains were diesel-powered. East Midlands Trains inherited Midland Mainline ’s InterCity 125 (HST) and Class 222 Meridian diesel-electric high-speed trains, along with some of
5040-463: The launch of MegabusPlus, but due to lack of demand in Doncaster, the service stopped calling there. Upon its award of the franchise in 2006, Stagecoach publicly revealed its plan to invest in excess of £91 million on a range of service improvements across the service region. Perhaps on the most outwardly perceivable undertaking during EMT's tenure was a total fleet refurbishment programme. At
5130-614: The lifetime of the franchise to get the trains to a standard that it was happy with. In addition to the various sources of the trains, passenger figures given to the Department for Transport prior to the franchise were incorrect, leading to a shortfall in the number of seats provided (a 26% decrease in capacity on route 2) compared with what was required. Four additional Class 156 DMUs, leased from Angel Trains were cascaded from Northern to enable more route 2 services to run as four-coach trains by using these cascaded Class 156s on Skegness services instead of Class 158s. From December 2012 when
5220-614: The name Wales & Borders . The remainder of Wales & West's services in the west of England were renamed Wessex Trains . John Laing bought out its partners in M40 Trains. Connex , having already lost the South Central franchise in 2001, was removed as franchisee of the South Eastern franchise in 2003 on the grounds of poor financial management. It was replaced as the franchise holder by South Eastern Trains ,
5310-501: The need for animal protection diminished with time. Full, half or no-barrier crossings superseded gated crossings, although crossings of older types can still be found in places. In rural regions with sparse traffic, the least expensive type of level crossing to operate is one without flagmen or gates, with only a warning sign posted. This type has been common across North America and in many developing countries. Some international rules have helped to harmonise level crossing. For instance,
5400-625: The organisation also recommended procuring the Class 801 in 10 car formations for the InterCity services, However, these plans were put on hold by the Transport Secretary , Patrick McLoughlin , in June 2015. While originally scheduled to end in March 2015, East Midlands Trains succeeded in having its franchise extended on several occasions. Nevertheless, the company continued to have to periodically submit competitive bids and emerge as
5490-578: The overall National Rail timetable) to operate their own services, which the franchises do not operate – these operators are classed as open-access operators and are not franchise holders. Currently in Great Britain, there are three open-access operators: Hull Trains , which runs services between London King's Cross and Hull , Grand Central , which operates between King's Cross and Sunderland and between King's Cross and Bradford , and Lumo , which operates between King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley . In addition, there are operators that fall outside
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#17327838969915580-566: The penalty fare scheme was extended in scope to include the Robin Hood Line from Nottingham to Worksop. Stagecoach Group, EMT's parent company, introduced Megatrain fares on its London routes on 2 January 2008 operating to/from London St Pancras International to Leicester , Loughborough , Derby , Nottingham , Chesterfield and Sheffield . Megatrain fares were also introduced on Route 2 between Sheffield, Chesterfield, Nottingham and Peterborough or Norwich. East Midlands Parkway
5670-599: The principal Sheffield-London route were reduced considerably, a feat that had largely been enabled by the high performance of its British Rail Class 222 Meridian fleet. One year later, in partnership with the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, EMT expanded its services on the route to encompass two trains every hour. A substantial growth in passenger numbers and associated revenue were recorded; in 2014, EMT observed that it only expected demand to continue increasing for
5760-617: The proximity of some stations) rebuilding 51 stations. At railway stations , a pedestrian level crossing is sometimes provided to allow passengers to reach other platforms in the absence of an underpass or bridge, or for disabled access. Where third rail systems have level crossings, there is a gap in the third rail over the level crossing, but this does not necessarily interrupt the power supply to trains since they may have current collectors on multiple cars. Source: US Department of Transportation. (1 mile=1.6 km) Source: Eurostat : The rail accident data are provided to Eurostat by
5850-404: The purview of National Rail, which operate specific services which are recent additions to Britain's railways. The main examples are Eurostar, which operates to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel , and Heathrow Express , which runs fast services from London to Heathrow Airport . A number of metropolitan railways on the network are operated by the local franchise holder in conjunction with
5940-405: The railroad crossing which will turn red, keeping new traffic from crossing the tracks. This is in addition to the flashing lights on the crossing barriers). After enough time to clear the crossing, the signal will turn. The crossing lights may begin flashing and the barriers lower immediately, or this might be delayed until after the traffic light turns red. The operation of a traffic signal, while
6030-471: The railway from people trespassing and livestock, and they protected the users of the crossing when closed by the signalman/gateman. In the second quarter of the 20th century , manual or electrical closable gates that barricaded the roadway started to be introduced, intended to be a complete barrier against intrusion of any road traffic onto the railway. Automatic crossings are now commonplace in some countries as motor vehicles replaced horse-drawn vehicles and
6120-753: The responsibility for the specification and procurement of the Wales & Borders franchise belongs to Transport for Wales . In two parts of England, local government agencies are responsible: in Merseyside , the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive lets the Merseyrail franchise, while in London, Transport for London (TfL) oversees the new London Overground and Elizabeth line concessions. ( London Underground ,
6210-413: The roads in the intersection usually feature traffic signal preemption . In the US, approaching trains activate a routine where, before the road lights and barriers are activated, all traffic signal phases go to red, except for the signal immediately after the crossing, which turns green (or flashing yellow) to allow traffic on the tracks to clear (in some cases, there are auxiliary traffic signals prior to
6300-501: The routes operated by Silverlink in London, which were combined with the extended East London line in 2011. Services are controlled directly by TfL, with running of the trains themselves contracted to a private company as an operating concession. This is different from an ordinary franchise, as the train operator is not given control of the strategic aspects of the operation, such as pricing, timetabling and rolling stock procurement. In December 2007, National Express East Coast took over
6390-476: The running of the InterCity East Coast franchise from GNER . Grand Central also began operating its services between London and Sunderland as an open access operator. In January 2008, Laing Rail which owned M40 Trains and a 50% shareholding in London Overground Rail Operations was sold to Deutsche Bahn , becoming part of the DB Regio Group. In February 2008, One was re-branded by National Express as National Express East Anglia to bring it into line with
6480-440: The runway and a horizontal bar of flashing red lights to indicate the runway south of the railway line is closed, and may only land on the 866 metres (2,841 ft) section of the runway north of the railway line. When the full length of the runway is open, a vertical bar of green lights signal to the aircraft, with regular rail signals on either side of the runway indicating trains to stop. The runway of Ometepe Airport crosses
6570-532: The same franchise was partially enacted. In April 2004, One commenced operating the Greater Anglia franchise that combined the Anglia Railways and First Great Eastern franchises with the West Anglia Great Northern services radiating out from Liverpool Street . The remainder continuing to be operated as WAGN . In the North of England, prior to 2004 there were two regional franchises,
6660-588: The south-east of England, were replaced as the operator of the Network SouthCentral franchise by Govia , who began operating it under the name South Central . Also in 2001, a new franchise, the Wales & Borders franchise was created by the amalgamation of Valley Lines and the majority of services in Wales and the Borders held by Wales & West . The new franchise was initially operated under
6750-520: The superior offering amongst its rivals to continue operating its services. In March 2017, the DfT announced that Stagecoach, Arriva UK Trains and a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia had been shortlisted to bid for the next East Midlands franchise. Abellio was added to the shortlist in February 2018. FirstGroup and Trenitalia pulled out of the bidding process in April 2018 to focus on
6840-481: The tracks in advance. Several accidents have occurred where a heavy load on a slow road transporter has not cleared the line in time, eg Dalfsen train crash and Hixon rail crash . At Hixon the police escort had received no training in their responsiblities. Level crossings constitute a significant safety concern internationally. On average, each year around 400 people in the European Union and over 300 in
6930-414: The tracks, while signalling trains to brake until the obstruction clears. However, they cannot prevent a vehicle from moving out onto the track once it is far too late for the locomotive to slow even slightly. Due to the increase in road and rail traffic as well as for safety reasons, level crossings are increasingly being removed. As of 2024 Melbourne is closing 110 level crossings by 2030 and (due to
7020-551: The typical off-peak weekday East Midlands Trains services, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), included: Tickets were sold in advance, super off-peak, off-peak and anytime formats, the cheapest of these being advance fares. In addition, East Midlands Trains accepted the wider Stagecoach Group's smart card scheme, branded "Stagecoach Smart". The company introduced a penalty fare scheme in late 2009, covering all mainline stations served by EMT from London to Sheffield via Corby, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Alfreton. During 2016,
7110-536: The use of its services by cyclists, EMT launched a series of cycle hubs at major stations, including Sheffield, Leicester and Nottingham. This initiative led to an additional 1,000 cycle spaces being created, along secure storage and changing facilities, bike repair apparatus and local cycling information facilities onsite. Derby Etches Park train maintenance depot underwent an extensive upgrade. Introduction of smart card technology, similar to that used on South West Trains, at all London route stations and all those in
7200-505: The year), Valley Lines Trains , Wales & West , and West Anglia Great Northern were purchased by Arriva and National Express respectively, resulting in the latter owning nine franchises. The two companies transferred to Arriva were renamed Arriva Trains Merseyside and Arriva Trains Northern. The first open access operator using the National Rail brand, Hull Trains , commenced running its services between King's Cross and Hull . In 2001, Connex , which had operated two franchises in
7290-451: Was accomplished by reducing one of the 8-car sets to a 5-car, with the remaining 8-car sets reduced to 7-cars. Extra capacity on long-distance routes was provided by running pairs of 5-car sets coupled together. Hull Trains made a decision to use only Class 180 Adelante units, with its Class 222 Meridian units transferring to East Midlands Trains. East Midlands Trains began the service from Corby on 23 February 2009. Initially, this
7380-511: Was extended on multiple occasions, before rival transport company Abellio was announced as the next franchisee in April 2019 after Stagecoach was disqualified from the bidding process for failing to meet employee pension obligations in its bid. Accordingly, EMT's services were transferred to East Midlands Railway on 18 August 2019. In June 2006, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced its intention to restructure several rail franchises, which included an East Midlands franchise that combined
7470-634: Was extended to Burton-on-Trent and one to Barnsley. EMT made no significant changes until the introduction of its December 2008 timetable. In December 2008, EMT made significant changes to the service pattern, which was similar to the current one (see below). There are five off-peak departures from London: 2 fast (1 to Sheffield and 1 to Nottingham), 1 semi-fast (initially to Derby; extended to Sheffield from December 2009) and 2 stopping (1 to Nottingham and 1 to Corby). A smaller number of Sheffield peak-hour trains continue to extend from and to Leeds, with weekend services also extending to York/Scarborough. In addition
7560-412: Was extended to Melton Mowbray at the outset, and a second was added to Derby from May 2010. On 9 December 2013, the Midland Main Line officially started running at 125 mph (200 km/h) in some areas, leading to reductions in several journey times. The Liverpool Lime Street via Warrington Central, Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly, Sheffield, Nottingham, Peterborough and Ely to Norwich service
7650-568: Was made up of one train per day in each direction, using the existing Meridian fleet. The full Corby service started on 27 April 2009. The Sprinter fleet that EMT inherited at the start of the franchise was in a very poor state. Problems ranged from basic and simple to major complicated faults. The fleet was put together from various sources – around four different previous companies, with some coming directly from passenger work but some that had been lying idle surplus to requirements off lease in sidings. East Midlands Trains claimed that it would take
7740-451: Was pledged for station enhancements. These included the opening of East Midlands Parkway station to serve East Midlands Airport and a new station being opened in Corby . The provision of Wi-Fi internet at key stations including Leicester, Derby, and Sheffield. Installation of ticket barriers at more stations including London St Pancras , Derby and Nottingham . To better accommodate
7830-774: Was previously provided by Central Trains . Nottinghamshire County Council has consistently campaigned for better services between the four core cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham. Network Rail's plans for the Northern Hub would deliver extra train paths along the Hope Valley Line, enabling more trains to run from the North West to the East Midlands. In December 2012, double-unit trains were provided for services between Manchester and Nottingham to ease overcrowding. East Midlands Trains' services were categorized into two types: As of January 2018,
7920-496: Was superseded by First Great Western Link and ScotRail (National Express) by First ScotRail . A new operator, Heathrow Connect , jointly run by BAA and First Great Western , began operating stopping services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport complementing the Heathrow Express. Three new integrated franchises began operating in April 2006: Further integrations occurred in 2007. The first of these
8010-576: Was the South Western franchise ; this merged the original South West Trains franchise with the Island Line Trains franchise on the Isle of Wight and began operating in February 2007 under the name South West Trains, with Island Line retained as a separate brand. In November 2007, three new integrated franchises began operating: In addition to these three, a further new operator, London Overground Rail Operations , took control of
8100-420: Was used as an interchange station for combined multi-modal journeys under the brand name "MegabusPlus", whereby passengers were carried by road coach from the cities in the north of England to East Midlands Parkway, where passengers transferred to rail for the service to London. Routes operated under the "MegabusPlus" brand were between London and: The bus from Hull and Scunthorpe also had a stop at Doncaster at
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